How James Bettcher aims to bring 'relentless' defense to Giants | Takeaways

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher met the media for the first time in his new role on Wednesday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center and threw down the gauntlet on the new attitude and scheme he plans to bring with him from the Arizona Cardinals.

"I'll just tell you this," Bettcher said. "What it's about, it's about playing relentless. The game is about playing hard, the game is about playing physical and the game is about playing smart. Those are things that our guys are going to do whether we're bringing five, bringing six, bringing four, dropping eight, whatever we're doing, whatever the field position is, down and distance, all that stuff. The thing our fans are going to see, you're going to see a defense that is going to run around, play hard, play fast, play smart, play physical and that's what playing defense is about."

Reluctant to get into too many details about how his new 3-4 scheme will take shape with his new personnel, Bettcher emphasized that his first order of business will be instilling a new attitude into the Giants defense when the team convenes for the first time during the offseason program on Monday.

"I can talk until I'm blue in the face about playing hard, playing fast, playing smart, playing physical," Bettcher explained. "But in our room, the accountability our players hold to each other, that's what will determine whether we play hard, whether we play smart or whether we play physical. That was something that was really exciting about coming here, is the core group of players we have here and guys that you've seen on tape running around, striking people, playing hard and playing smart. So how do you coach it? You get your core players in the room to believe in it and then from there it's the ownership factor."

Here are some key takeaways from Bettcher's press conference, including his plans for cornerback Eli Apple, the value of adding veteran linebacker Alec Ogletree, and the potential he sees for Olivier Vernon as he moves from having his hand in the dirt to standing up as a linebacker:

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Gary A. Vasquez

On what Alec Ogletree brings from a scheme and leadership standpoint:

JAMES BETTCHER: "I can talk until I'm blue in the face about playing hard, playing fast, playing smart, playing physical. But in our room, the accountability our players hold to each other, that's what will determine whether we play hard, whether we play smart or whether we play physical. That was something that was really exciting about coming here, is the core group of players we have here and guys that you've seen on tape running around, striking people, playing hard and playing smart. So how do you coach it? You get your core players in the room to believe in it and then from there it's the ownership factor."

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TAKEAWAY:

Giants linebackers coach Bill McGovern said that the plan is for Ogletree to not only be the quarterback of the defense, but also wear the communication headset to the veteran can call out and align the defensive fronts.

There is certainly a familiarity between Bettcher and Ogletree from their time in the NFC West, which should allow Bettcher's scheme to maximize Ogletree's skills both in getting after the quarterback as a pass-rusher as well as his exceptional coverage ability from sideline to sideline.

Perhaps the most valuable component to adding Ogletree is his leadership qualities that have the chance to dramatically change the culture both in the locker room and on a defense that suffered through a 2017 season that included Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie going AWOL and Eli Apple being suspended.

Speaking of Apple ...

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Bettcher's first impression of Eli Apple:

JAMES BETTCHER: "He's a very talented player. I did him when he was coming out in the draft, really liked his skill set. He's a guy who can play man, who can press, who can play zone defense in space, who can break on the ball and very excited next week to get him here and get to work and have a chance to work with these guys this offseason. He's a guy that -- I think it's a guy that has expectations for himself and that's the most important thing. I think any player that I've ever been around, whether it's Patrick Peterson or you want to talk about Kareem Martin in guys who have improved from the first day that I met them until where they're at right now. A guy like Kareem, one of the most improved players that I've ever been around in the four years that I was around Kareem so far to Patrick Peterson -- these guys have expectations of themself that supersede my expectations, that supersede yours, that supersede anyone within the organization. If guys don't have those kinds of expectations for themselves, they generally will fall short of anything we had hoped they could be as a player and that expectation as an individual player is kind of their motivating factor and I believe he has that and I'm excited for him and we're going to get this thing going for him and for other guys on this defense."

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TAKEAWAY:

Bettcher's comparison of Apple to Patrick Peterson, certainly is a lofty one, as Peterson has emerged as one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL and been named to seven Pro Bowls and collected three first-team All-Pro honors.

Since being chosen by the Giants with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Apple has posted 100 tackles and just one interception.

On one hand, the Giants did release Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie prior to free agency which could lead to an expanded role for Apple, but the Ohio State product has yet to prove that he can consistently play at the level of a top-10 pick.

Perhaps Bettcher's experience with elite talents in the secondary will prove the magic elixir that brings out Apple's best.

JAMES BETTCHER: "We had some guys in Arizona, Tyvon Branch and before Tyvon we had Tony Jefferson who played strong safety for us who could play both high, could play down in the box, could cover tight ends, could blitz off the edge. That's what I see with Landon, a guy who is very versatile in what he can do. You might see a snap where he's down covering a tight end in the box, you might see a snap where he's in the half field playing deep or in the middle of the field playing deep or you might see snaps where he's blitzing off the edge. I think that's the versatility a guy like him lends and that's something that as you look and study defenses across the league and you talk to offensive guys of what gives them trouble, it's players that have that versatility -- that one snap they're down in the box and the next snap they're playing high. That kind of versatility gives offenses trouble and I'm excited to have a chance to work with him."

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TAKEAWAY:

Collins has shown plenty of versatility during his career with the Giants to play over the top in coverage, as well as being a punishing hitter both over the middle and up near the line of scrimmage in run support.

Posting over 100 tackles in each of his first three seasons, it shouldn't be a surprise to see Bettcher move Collins around and weaponize him both over the top as well as in the box, as he is the kind of player that offensive coordinators and quarterbacks must account for on every snap.

JAMES BETTCHER: "I've had Chandler Jones, Marcus Golden, shoot even when you talk about older players, a John Abraham, a Dwight Freeney that's played in this system who have been 4-3 if you want to classify them as 4-3 defensive ends playing in this same system. Guys that have had a ton of success, guys that have been double-digit sack guys in this system. His versatility, his ability to rush from different angles. We've all seen him drop in space and flip his hips and do some of those things. If you went and looked at our tape in Arizona and you saw Chandler Jones, we didn't make our money in Arizona on defense with Chandler Jones dropping and playing in space a bunch. It's things that you do as great changeups, things that you do to allow you to attack offenses in different ways, and I think that's how he'll fit in."

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TAKEAWAY:

The Giants defensive coaches couldn't hide their enthusiasm about Vernon's potential in his new position.

Vernon is an outstanding pass-rusher who has collected 15 sacks over the past two seasons and moving to the outside where he can stand up and get after the quarterback coming off the edge could lead to those numbers ballooning in 2018.

However, it will be interesting to see how Bettcher and linebackers coach Bill McGovern utilize Vernon in coverage and if he is up to the task of picking up tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield, having been asked very sparingly to do so since his college days in Miami.

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On the clean slate for players such as Apple who were suspended last season

JAMES BETTCHER: "Day one is Monday. Day one is Monday. That is how I will answer that. Day one is Monday and every guy that walks in that room, day one is Monday. So, whatever happened before, whether it was here or whether it was with a different team, guys that we draft, whether it was in college, whatever it was that has happened with guys, day one is Monday, day one is the first day those guys walk in the building and we're going to build from there."

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TAKEAWAY:

There is obviously a new sheriff in town, and the Giants have already parted ways with Rodgers-Cromartie, but Bettcher set the right tone on Wednesday that he will be offering his players a fresh start when they convene for the first time as a team next week.

One of the principles that helped the Eagles rebound from a 7-9 season in 2016 to winning Super Bowl LII was head coach Doug Pederson stressing that players inside the locker room shared ownership in the team's success. From the sounds of it on Wednesday, Bettcher and the Giants' coaching staff aims to forge a similar culture immediately this season.

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Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoPHL.